Fl250 junk pile resto

[phydough]

I purchased a 1978 fl250 that was mostly disassembled. I thought it would be a good project for a low price. I drove 4 hours to get it and was expecting to get a train wreck.

When I picked it up I was surprised at how many parts there were. I also immediately saw some repairs I was hoping I would not have to perform.

I will take pics soon.

What I got:
Full chassis
Motor
Full drivetrain
Straight axle
Straight wheels
Functioning brakes
Functioning parking brake
2 good front tires
Completely intact front tub
Complete lower airbox
Complete upper airbox
Steering wheel functions
Suspension is not seized.

The bad....
The origional cage is bent
The front j-arm mounts are bent.
There are some dings and a little damage to the frame.

Why did I buy this?
I really don't have much money but couldn't pass up a 100 dollar price. I do however have all of the tools to do any work.

Why did I want one.
When I was a little kid I wanted a gokart soo bad. Me and my dad built one and I was out tearing up the woods when I heard a loud buzz and saw the coolest thing come flying past me. Ever since then I have wanted one. Here I am 30 years later and I finally got one. I have built some very high end projects and owned a fabrication business for many years. I am currently an engineer for a large automotive manufacturer. Finances are tight due to a few years of battling a major health issue.

My plans are to spend as little as possible to polish this turd.

I will attempt to straighten the front beam, but may end up disecting it and widening it about 2+ each side. I have played with the idea of adding rear suspension, and have all the parts, but feel like I will take some of the character away from the fl250.

I have a bunch of parts laying around.

I have searched every site I can for ideas and successful repairs of the front beam, but not found much. I plan on doing alot of straightening and welding.

I will be buying some tubing to build a cage, but am unsure what would be best for this little buggy. I have built several go-kart and dune buggies but they used much different OD piping and wall thicknesses.

Wish me luck.......

I would more than welcome any ideas help or links to good repairs. Also if anyone knows cheap sources for parts that would be wonderful.

[phydough]

Oh yeah...I have 3 kids.

My oldest two share a dune buggy that I traded a KTM 250/300sx for. And my youngest has a kart with a fully built predator 212.

We have a 9 acre field behind our house that we have setup as a bunch of little tracks and obstacles. This fl250 will be a daddy toy and I don't like to spend money on me.

[Jrgunn5150]

Sounds fun, I know all about saving every penny you can lol. The build is part of the fun though right?

[Mississippian]

Welcome phydough. The FL250 is fun to ride and pretty quick. I placed an add on my local craigslist wanting parts and got pretty good results, parts cheaper than eBay. I am glad to see the FL250 forum is coming back to life. The front beam can be straightened by inserting a pipe as close to the diameter as you can and heating the beam. If the pipe is snug enough, you can leave it in the beam to reinforce it. The j-arms can be done the same way after they are reinstalled on the beam.

[phydough]

I have thought about cutting the back side of the beam and straightening it and then multi pass weld it back. Then adding some additional gussets.

Ideally I would like to replace the entire beam with one that is a little longer.

[MASCMAN]

You bought yours for a similar reason I did.

Check out my build and see what I'm doing by building a custom frame...you have all the running parts so might be a cool project.

Look under builds for POS build.

[MASCMAN]

Where are you located?

I built a 2003 KTM 250SX into a 300SX...most awesome bike I have ever owned. It was a beast and not for the inexperienced rider!

[Rat4020]

Welcome to MiniBuggy . Its always great ta see another pep get hooked on the buggy drug LOL

[phydough]

I am located in Rutherfordton NC.

Not really new to the buggy world. Have a woods buggy with a pancake motor and a 3 rib. Have a manco silverfox with a built 212 (hemi), have a kandi gk150 (piece of junk)

I loved the KTM, but I built it past my riding level. It was an absolute monster. Made my kx500 from back in the days seem like a lightweight.

I have always had an affinity towards anything with a motor. But ever since I was 5 I wanted one of these. I just purchased a full unbeatable original cage. And bumper. I haven't even had a chance to look at it and I have already spent more than what I paid for it.

It has some sort of nerf-bars on it that I haven't seen before, but I will incorporate them into the cage.

Now all I need is rear tires.

I will completely disassemble it coming up.

I have a powder booth so I will powdercoat most of the parts before re-assembling it. The frame won't fit in my oven so it will get the old por15 treatment. I am going to make fenders for it from fiberglass. May even pop a mold off of them and try selling a few. They will be a more modern interpretation than the originals. I also will figure out a better ignition system (kinda what I design for a living).

I also need to find a pipe for it that won't break the bank. Who any pipes from other motors fit this? I don't mind modifying.

I already have a brand new seat and seat cover leftover from one of my buggy builds. That will get mounted with a layer of DEI goldwrap on the backside.

I promise to get pictures.

[phydough]

Anybody have some cheap atv tires?